Hitler's Europe Ablaze

Occupation, Resistance, and Rebellion during World War II

By: Ben H. Shepherd - editor, Phillip Cooke - editor

Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin

Length: 14 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Local resistance to German-led Axis occupation occurred throughout the European continent during World War II, taking a wide range of forms - noncooperation and disinformation, sabotage and espionage, and armed opposition and full-scale partisan warfare. It is a key element in the experience and the national memory of those who found themselves under Axis government and control. But for decades there has been no systematic attempt to give readers a panoramic yet detailed view of the make-up, actions, and impact of resistance movements from Scandinavia down to Greece and from France through to Russia. This authoritative and accessible survey, written by a group of the leading experts in the field, provides a reliable, in-depth, up-to-date account of the resistance in each region and country along with an assessment of its effectiveness and of the Axis reaction to it. An extensive introduction by the editors Philip Cooke and Ben H. Shepherd draws the threads of the varied movements and groups together, highlighting the many differences and similarities between them. True Stories of Resistance in World War II is a significant contribution to the frequently heated debates about the importance of individual resistance movements and thought-provoking reading for everyone who is interested in or studying occupied Europe during the World War II.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2013, 2014 Philip Cooke and Ben H. Shepherd; First North American edition by Skyhorse Publishing (P)2014 Audible Inc.

Historically questionable.

The Yugoslavia chapter, the part I feel best versed in, appears marred by inaccuracies. Mihailovic was not awarded the Legion Of Merit in 2005 by president Bush, but in 1948 by president Truman. Also, the absolute failure to mention the influence of the Cambridge 5 on British policy towards the partisans during the war is astounding. Regrettably, this brings into question an otherwise interesting and entertaining read.

WWII

Outstanding overview of all European countries involved. So many unknown battles revealed, makes one put the war in a totally different perspective.

narrator

this is easily the worst narration I have ever tried to listen to.
I had to give it up.

Hard to stick with

I don't know if it was the readers intonation (which isn't quite monotone but seems to come damn close) or the material (which is presented like a grad school doctorial thesis) but I found this really hard to get through. I didn't come in with high expectations of being entertained-but instead I found it dull and seemed to be more engaged with presenting statistics then telling the stories of the various forms of resistance to the Nazis during WW2.

Interesting!

Maybe a better read for a real scholar with a stronger WWII background than I. I still enjoyed the book and appreciate how the authors related events of 70 years ago to how Europe is today.

Nazi comeuppance by clandestine resistance

Professional narration.

Interesting, informative descriptions of many actions taken against the Nazi war machine. How brave were these everyday citizens risking death to resist The Nazi invasion.

Fascinating and a must read with those wanting a full picture

It was a bit dry but I got used to the pouring of so much detail. It filled in the missing blanks of much of the struggle. We all need to understand the sacrifices the causes and the price that was paid.